Potbelly’s New Electricity Delivery Based License with REEF

 

Have you been trying to reinvent the wheel?  Is your chain restaurant looking more like yesterday that today or tomorrow’s chain restaurant? Why?  Is it because you are still waiting for things to go back the way they were before COVID?  Well, that’s not going to happen according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

You might want to see how others are driving new electricity into their brands.  Take Potbelly Corporation for example they recently announced their first delivery-based license with REEF, the largest operator of virtual restaurants, logistics and proximity hubs in North America. The delivery kitchens are expected to create greater accessibility and convenience for consumers to enjoy the Potbelly menu items they love.

Bob Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Potbelly Corporation, stated, “I’m incredibly excited to bring the Potbelly brand together with an innovator like REEF. We’re committed to driving unit growth and with REEF’s unique operating model, we can now quickly expand into underserved markets. We believe their virtual restaurants can play an important role in the achievement of our unit growth targets, including our long-term goal of achieving 2,000 total units in the next 8 to 10 years.”

Wright continued, “The partnership with REEF furthers the brand’s ongoing commitment to technology advancements alongside our recently upgraded app and website, which are key pillars of the Five Pillar strategy. Potbelly’s dedicated investment in technology is designed to elevate the brand’s position, expand availability and improve customers’ digital experience.”

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Kenneth O’Rourke, REEF’s EVP of Enterprise Kitchens Brands, stated, “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Potbelly to bring its delicious sandwiches and sides to more neighborhoods,” … “In addition to serving the brand's dedicated existing fans, we look forward to introducing many new customers to Potbelly on REEF's innovative platform."  How are you growing your brand and driving new electricity?

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, smaller footprint, developing brands, fresh flowers, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable according to Johnson.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter